Ligon Mill Road Underpass

North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Project B-5318 is the replacement of Bridge No. 126 over Smith Creek on Ligon Mill Road (SR 2044). The bridge is located along Ligon Mill Road, between Burlington Mills Road and US-1A/South Mail Street.

The bridge is approaching the end of its useful life and is being replaced. The bridge will have a new alignment to the east. Traffic will be maintained on the existing bridge during construction of the new bridge. A pedestrian underpass will be built to accommodate for future Smith Creek Greenway Phase 2. A multi-use path will be created to the west to connect users from Ligon Mill Road to Smith Creek Greenway.


Proposed Improvements

The following is the list of proposed improvements:

  • 200-foot long, 58-foot wide bridge (roadway width of 47 feet).

  • Three 11-foot lanes (one in each direction with a center turn lane).

  • Five-foot bike lane in the northbound and southbound directions.

  • Five-foot sidewalks along the east side of Ligon Mill Road from the northern project limit to Song Sparrow Drive

  • Five-foot sidewalks along the west side of Ligon Mill Road from the bridge to the southern project limit.

  • Ten-foot Multi-Use Path and on the west side of Ligon Mill Road from north of the bridge to the Ligon Mill/Smith Creek Greenway Underpass

  • The roadway elevation of the new bridge will be approximately six feet higher than the existing bridge to accommodate a future Town of Wake Forest greenway underneath.

  • Trailhead parking lot on Town property to connect with direct connection to the greenway

Cost: $73,000 plus additional costshare TBD

Current Phase: Design

Update

  • March 2017 - NCDOT held a Public Meeting on March 14, 2017

  • February 2018 - NCDOT funding $5.67M. NCDOT to add MUP access from bridge to greenway, additional costshare to Town is unknown

  • March 2018 - Smith Creek Phase 2 consultant, Stewart Engineering, to design parking trailhead at the old roadbed and east with Town property with plans for NCDOT construction of trailhead.

  • August 2018 - Town betterment/costshare of $268,600

  • Spring 2019 - Construction begins and is anticipated to take 18 months